Self
by Brad C
Summary: Reference to prior fiction, Mercury. Contain mild spoilers from Reload Vol. 4. Fire is the connection between the spiritual world and earth, guidence for the souls. A way to find our true selves and understand our selves.


**Title:** Self

**Author:** Brad C

**Disclaimers:** Kazuya Minekura

* * *

A blanket of darkness gradually engulfing the blood orange skies, as another day has come and gone. The chaste moon watches from high above over the earth peacefully and quietly, glistening against the soft layered of snow on the ground. The elder priest stands on the foot of the small hill silently, waiting patiently with his eyes closed and hands in his sleeves, breathing in the fresh cold air calmly. He waits patiently for a few minutes, nodding his head and smiling to himself as he hears the sound of foot steps drawing closer towards him. 

The sound of pacing foot steps padding against the snow, crunching softly underneath the sandals, and drawing its way to the hilltop, and finally stops. The young priest reaches into his long creamed white sleeve and takes out rectangular package. He taps the small box, and pulls out a cigarette with his mouth. Using both hands, covering the cigarette with one hand, and lights it up quickly with the other. He then blows a few streaks of white clouds into the cold air.

"How long have you been standing there?" The young brunette priest asks curiously, standing behind the elder priest before him, holding the lighted nicotine in his hand casually. The elder priest turns around, smiling calmly with smile reaching his eyes. "A minor standstill…" Koumyou answers, chuckling to himself mischievously. Ukoku chuckles to himself; he then brings the cigarette to his mouth, inhaling the last of his nicotine quietly; tossing it to the ground, and crushing it with the end of heels.

The two priests stand there quietly, only communicating in absolute silence. The two priest breaths in small amount of air inwardly for an hour. "There is something I must ask of you, O Illustrious One?" Ukoku asks with a curious note in his voice, breaking the silence between them. Koumyou nods his head silently. "And what might that be?" The elder priest replies in a gracious, kind and polite tone of voice with his half smile; smiling childishly, and standing motionless before the young priest. "You mentioned before in our friendly wager, whether the moon or darkness will be devoured, will be the next rising sun. However, there is bit more to it." Ukoku answers calmly, and polite tone in his voice with hint of admiration towards the elder priest.

"And how did you draw this conclusion, O Samana?" Koumyou replies, turning his head glancing down at the younger priest before him. "The sun symbolizes the soul, where the moon receives the light of the soul." Ukoku answers, lowering his head slightly and contemplating to himself. The elder priest nods his head with a half smile. "But there is more…" Koumyou adds quietly, "Have I ever told you the story about Soma?" He then continues with a delightful note in his voice, merely stifling with a childish giggle. The young priest shakes his head lightly back and forth, gazing at the elder priest curiously and contemplatively; he pulls out a small box of nicotine out from his creamed white robes, and begins lighting up another cigarette.

"Soma is the moon, and merged with Chandra. He was the sacrifices all living things," Koumyou says smiling peacefully at the younger priest. "Come to think of it, I believe you have…" Ukoku answers as he thinks to himself, turning his head slightly away with a small faint smile on his face. He then inhales the nicotine for a few minutes before blowing few clouds of smoke into the air. "Soma is the night sky, his son is named Budha." The young priest continues, and then finishes quietly. "Have I told you about Agni and his relation with Soma?" Koumyou interjects politely with a childish smile on his face, voice gentle and motherly. The young priest shakes his head back and forth, quietly. "He is also part of Soma…" The elder priest continues quietly.

Ukoku gazes at the elder priest fondly, the nicotine hanging on the side of his lips loosely with a faint smile on his lips. "Agni is a great consumer of Soma, who is a great purifier of all living things. He is the sun and the golden red fire. And also known as a destroyer but is equal to all because of his warmth and light." The elder priest answers, finishing his sentence slowly. His voice light, warm and gentle much like the fire itself.

A flash of warm, bright light like blazing fire guides him in his deep dreamless sleep. His hand curls around the bed sheets tightly, tossing and turning in restless positions. Nii opens his eyes widely and jerks up from his sleep. A few strands of black hair covering his eyes, sweating slightly and catching his breath and slowly cools off. His fingers still clutching onto the blankets, and then loosens his grip as he grabs his black shirt from computer chair not far from his tiny bed. He then grabs his black framed glasses on the desk and places onto his nose. He rummages through the side pocket of his black shirt, and takes out a pack of cigarettes. Tapping it a few times and pulls one out from with his lips, lighting it up, and savoring the strong black licorice flavor in his mouth.

Nii finishes his cigarette and stubs the end of it into the ashtray on the edge of his desk. He grabs his brown slacks from the floor, and put them back onto his waist. He leaves his pair of black socks on the floor, and shoves his bare feet into the yellow bunny slippers. Nii then buttons his black shirt half way, leaving the top loosely open. He pushes his hair back into its original style, letting few strands of his front bangs hang over his forehead. He lights up another cigarette before he picks up his bunny doll from the side of the bed, curling the bunny doll securely around his arms, and letting his cigarette loosely hang from the side of his mouth. He begins slowly walking out of his private dorm, closing the door silently behind him.

The doctor walks down the dark narrow hallway outside of laboratory rooms. He heads up a flight of stairs into the second floor of the palace, walking pass the medical room and into the royal domain. Nii paces slowly until he reaches the prince's room, slowly opens the door halfway, and leaning himself up against the door frame. He watches from afar before entering further into the large room. The doctor walks up to the bed and sits himself on the edge of the mattress, watching the prince quietly.

Kougaiji sleeps soundly in his sleep, not realizing the bunny doll has been place in his arms, curled around his long fingers. His face musses deeply against strands of long red wine hair on the pillow, tendrils hanging over the edge of his bed. Nii reaches his hand into the prince's fiery red bangs, stroking them softly between his fingers. "Agni, the god of fire," Nii mutters quietly, gazing down deeply at the prince with a mere frown on his face, placing his head on the young prince's chest, "the great consumer of Soma…"

Footnote:

1. In Hindu mythology, Vedic Gods, Soma is the moon and the colour of the night, view as a whole deity based on wine used for ritual sacrifices of life and death (Samsara). Soma is paired up with Agni (Fire) as devour principle.

2. Budha is Mercury, not to be confused with Buddha the Enlightened One (Siddhartha Gautama).

3. Siddhartha, novel written by Herman Hesse. Based on Historical Buddha.

4. Chandra is the moon, in Vedic Astrology. In Sanskrit it means "Bright and Shining"


End file.
